BASF announced that it would switch to supplying adsorbents and catalysts for the market, becoming a supplier of raw materials instead of being a service provider. ClearEdge switched its stationary fuel cell plant to phosphoric acid fuel cell technology when it acquired UTC Power.

HT-PEM fuel cell technology has made considerable progress since it emerged from the research stage in the last 10 years and its ability to better tolerate CO in hydrogen feed enables natural gas to be used instead of purified hydrogen, Fuel Cell Today reports. It also allows for simplified heat and water management and cheaper catalysts to be used. But operating at high temperature constantly also means it leads to rapid degradation and corrosion of equipment, so durability is still a big challenge.

Despite these challenges, it is being developed for different applications by Truma, Elcore, Serenergy and Advent Technologies. Advent focuses on novel membrane technology and is based in Hartford, Conn. Its CEO told Fuel Cell Today that it targets four main markets — micro-CHP (combined heat and power), portable power, power generation and hydrogen separation.

But the key difference between big players like BASF and Advent is in their approach — while BASF used to offer standardized dimensions for its products, Advent customizes it according to its customer’s needs. Fuel Cell Today endorses Advent’s tailored approach, arguing that only when the market becomes established should providers scale up with standardized models.